Sorry I haven't responded here in a couple of days. I know you all understand, though. Jeanne, your photo is gorgeous! What a lovely walk that must have been. Oh, and I'll have deviled egg appetizers waiting for you when you get here. I love them, too! I have one of those storyteller candles! I bought it years ago when we were in Taos. That's where they make them. I've never lit it, though, and don't ever plan to. Here she is: PartyMusic: thanks! You're more than welcome to jump on the Holiday Bus and come along for breakfast, too. MM: too funny! I get the same way when I see pics of Huevos Rancheros. Most restaurants out here serve it all day, because so many of us love them anytime. Last night when we went out to dinner, I almost had them again but chose Chile Rellenos instead. Mmmmm! Luvs: You are always welcome here! And, scrambled eggs are wonderful with salsa or red chile on them. I always have some on the table when I make scrambled eggs. I hear you regarding Spanish pronunciations! I took 7 years of it as a kid in Michigan. Never got to use it much, because you hear more French there. But, once I moved to NM, a lot of it came back to me. The "LL" sounding like a "Y" throws most people off and so does the "J" sounding like "H" do, too. Funny! As for my seed placemats, I'm really liking them. At first, I was going to take them back as I was worried that they'd be very hard to keep clean, but they're not that bad. I just have to be careful about what I serve when I use them. Drips down between those seeds would not be a good thing! Kathleen, I'm Scot and I love them. I think it becomes an addiction when you move here ;^D When DS was in college, I had to send him chile on a regular basis. The main requests our NM service men & women have from home are canned green chiles and salsa! I can't imagine getting on without it now. OK, I'm making myself hungry! Karen: they sure can be made with scrambled eggs! Do you ever make Breakfast Burritos? You roll a flour tortilla around warm scrambled eggs, crumbled bacon, sausage or ham, add some hash browns, beans if you like, shredded cheese and then salsa or red chile sauce. That's got to be New Mexico's other favorite breakfast! Even the McD's out here serve them. Punk: I'd love to have you come for breakfast! I love the pinecone napkin rings that Jane sent me, too. They look great with three of my dish sets: these pinecone ones, the ones with actual pinecones painted on them and my green Solare dishes. They get used a lot! Glor: Yes, that dip is very popular out here. We usually add diced jalapenos or green chiles to ours. I've had it used as a stuffing for enchiladas and burritos, too. Have you ever had Green Chile Roll-Ups? They're a pinwheel-type appetizer and very popular out here. Luckygal: I don't care for very hot food either. But, what I now consider mild, I find that my Michigan family thinks is medium-to-hot. I guess I've just gotten used to it over the years. OA: thank you :~ ) Yes, that brown pedestal is from HL and was meant to hold a candle, I think. I keep looking for a more rustic one to use on a table like this, but haven't found it yet. I'd love to hear any ideas you might have for a substitute. That pedestal is probably the main thing I don't like about this vignette. The pottery comes mainly from two NM potters, one is my neighbor. I love his work and, as I've mentioned, use it every day. I feel the same way you do about centerpieces! I have several 5x7 frames with easel backs I keep just for adding an interesting card to for a centerpiece. There are so many possibilities out there these days and the frames are so quick and easy to change out. Well, now I'm REALLY hungry for something with chiles! I think I'll go make myself a grilled cheese with green chile sandwich for lunch. Lynn

Nothing. After a couple of hours' sleep, I was in the garden a bit before 8 (it rained some last night, but not muddy) picking regular peas and edible-pod ones, green beans and lettuce to take to the two churches that I attend, one at ten and the other at 10:30. After clean-up ... it was just 11 when I got out of here, dropped the tray of veggies at the 10:30 one just before service was over, got to the second just before 11:30, when not only service but much of coffee hour was over, with some heading home. So ... I had coffee and a few cookies just before noon. Canadians will know what "Tim-bits" are ... (Tim Hortons, nation-wide popular coffee house, carries donut holes, calls them "Tim-bits" which one can purchase as singles, by the few or by the box) ... well ... I've found that they have donut-holes at one No Frills store in town (and a couple don't seem to) so I bought a box and had several with milk when I returned home in the early afternoon. Did someone say, "Not very balanced and nutritious a diet, that"? Guilty as charged, I guess. A few days ago I put three heaping tablespoons of Cream of Wheat into a bowl with water and salt, microwaved it for 2? 3? min. Not enough water, I guess - usually it cooks around the edge, still gruelly in the middle, needs a stir and another shot. This time, it was thick and dry. It took me several minutes, after adding water, of gentle, stroking stirring to get the lumps cleared out. We've had a rainy, cool spring and start of summer, with crops delayed. I was pleased the other day to see that my turnips were growing well, but when friend and I looked at them today, some tops were drooping - they were rotting at the top. Little black bugs had got into them and several were soft and mushy inside, largely eaten away. We have a gardening guru on phone-in over province-wide section of national radio every Monday, but tomorrow's a holiday so he may be in on Tuesday, so I'll try to get through to find out what I need do to combat the little devils. Also, almost didn't plant cucumbers, as for three years their leaves have turned golden, then go brown and crispy - from blight, they say - just after flowering, when fruit is getting started ... but put some in ... and I see that the leaves of one hill are getting that golden cast, again. Drat! Good wishes for a beautiful summer week. ole joyful

Yes, Thyme, this is the birdhouse I had built to replicate the one that had been there since 1949 and was in shambles. I tried to post a photo of it but I'm having problems again posting pics. I'll try again later. mnwsgal - I do believe it may have been intended to be a purple martin house but unfortunately sparrows have always lived in it since I've been here and I suspect for many years before that. I read once that purple martins prefer houses that stand out in the open, i.e. with no close trees,etc. Not the case with this house. I don't mind the sparrows all that much, except they sure have stuffed every opening to the brim these three years and now I'm wondering how I will clean it out. Probably have to hire someone eventually.

Wednesday breakfast was delayed till noon as Dh was having a stress test that began at 8 am. On the way home near noon we decided to make it lunch instead and stopped at Applebees. Have always liked Applebees, but my lunch choice of a Southwest type Chicken breast and rice meal was bad. Chicken ok, but the rice was either barely cooked or had sat around so long it had dried out. Almost 'crunchy', no moisture to it at all. When I complained, they told me that I was not the first to complain about it! Brought me french fries instead. Not what I wanted. DH did enjoy his meal of short ribs, fries and cole slaw.